1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of fullerenes and more specifically to the field of coating fullerenes with coatings capable of emitting and/or absorbing light.
2. Background of the Invention
Nanoparticles have been increasingly studied due to their physical and chemical properties. One such property is the ability of some nanoparticles to emit light. For instance, CdS nanoparticles have been used on photoconducting materials to increase photoconductivity and also to produce light emitters. Typically, photoluminescence of quantum dots of nanoparticles is accomplished by irradiating the quantum dot with light of a frequency that results in emission of light at a different, lower frequency. The nanoparticle quantum dots are typically incorporated into structures such as diodes to enhance the photoluminescence of the structures. Such structures are typically much larger than nanoparticle size. The nanoparticles are usually coated on the structures by a sol-gel type reaction.
A drawback to photoluminescence of semiconductor dots is that the emitted light is typically not polarized. For instance, the aspect ratio of light emitted from the quantum dot is typically too low for polarization. Further drawbacks include the size of the coated structures. For instance, the size of the coated structures may be too large for applications on the nano-scale such as the in-vivo environment. Other drawbacks include the long reaction times typically involved with the sol-gel type reactions
Consequently, there is a need for a more efficient process for coating light emitting and/or absorbing semiconductor materials on structures. Other needs include an improved process for illuminating the semiconductor materials. Additional needs include a process for coating light emitting and/or absorbing semiconductor materials on structures that can be used for applications on the nano-scale.